MistClan
by Crazy-The-Author
Summary: A book about loyalty and the importance of family
1. Allegiances

Allegiances

_MistClan_

LeaderBrightstar – Large dark brown tabby she-cat, one dark amber eye and one green eye

DeputyPetalflight – Small white she-cat with brown eyes

Medicine Cat Dovewhisper – Gray and white she-cat with very pale blue eyes

Apprentice, Riverpaw

WarriorsStreamwander – Silver tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Ratfur – Large dark brown tom with yellow eyes

Mousetail – Brown she-cat with bright yellow eyes

Quicksilver – Silver tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Rainfeather – Grayish silver tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Apprentice, Snowpaw

Dawndust – Yellow orange she-cat with amber eyes and gray paws

Nighthawk – Black tom with golden amber eyes

Apprentice, Falconpaw

Shadowstone – Very dark tortishell she-cat, golden amber eyes

Apprentice, Windpaw

Thunderclap – Red ginger tom, brown eyes

Apprentice, Lightningpaw

Goosewing – Black and white tom, amber eyes

ApprenticesRiverpaw – Pretty blue-grey she-cat with amber eyes

Snowpaw – Small white she-cat with brown eyes

Falconpaw – Gray and brown tom with amber eyes

Windpaw – Pretty blue-grey she-cat with amber eyes

Lightningpaw – Orange tabby tom with yellow eyes

QueensWarmbreeze – Blue grey tabby she-cat with golden eyes

Rocktumble – Brown and gray she-cat, yellow eyes

Kits-Whitekit

EldersShreddedears – Black tom with badly torn ears, amber eyes

Graymask – White she-cat with gray face, pale blue eyes

_FogClan_

LeaderEelstar – Sleek dark grey tom with a paw bare of fur, brown eyes

DeputyGoldstream – Golden tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Medicine CatEchoingsilence – Gray tabby tom with brown eyes and white paws

Apprentice, Gingerpaw

WarriorsSilentstare – Brown and white she-cat with menacing golden eyes

Apprentice, Lavenderpaw

Seedheart – Brown tom with yellow eyes

Hawthornbush – Brown and white tom with golden eyes

Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Owltalon – Swift, deadly brown tabby tom with grey eyes

Apprentice, Willowpaw

Shadowcloud – Dark grey tom with bright green eyes

Apprentice, Fernpaw

Floodclaw – Grey tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Mosspaw

Stonethorn – Grey tom with brown forepaws, one white hind paw, black tail, blue eyes

Apprentice, Skypaw

Eagletalon – Brown and white tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Dewpaw

ApprenticesGingerpaw – Ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes

Lavenderpaw – Lavender she-cat with brown eyes

Cloudpaw – Black and white tom with yellow eyes

Willowpaw – Grey and white she-cat with green eyes

Fernpaw – Pale tortishell she-cat with brown eyes

Mosspaw – Mostly white calico she-cat with brown eyes

Skypaw – Calico she-cat with blue eyes

Dewpaw – Silver tabby tom with brown eyes

QueensMoonset – Dark tortishell she-cat with brown eyes

Kits – Palekit, Bouncekit, Rosekit

Shimmerflower – Silver tabby she-cat with brown eyes

Kits – Silverkit, Glimmerkit

EldersBlackpool – Sleek black she-cat with startling green eyes

Pesterquake – Pale tortishell she-cat with brown eyes


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A large dark brown tabby she-cat with rigid black stripes couched atop a boulder twice the size of a large dog. At the base of the rough boulder, many cats sat. Amber, yellow, brown, blue, and green eyes watched the young cat. One dark amber eye watched the entrance to the large camp out the corner, but the bright green eye stayed focused on the crowd. Nearly nineteen moons ago, MistClan's former deputy, Shreddedears, had retired, leaving old Heavystar to name a new deputy. He had called upon this she-cat; Brightcloud. Several of the cats had been unhappy with the choice, many continuing to spit insults at the former rogue. Now, Heavystar was dead, leaving Brightstar to head the Clan. However, to lead her Clan well, she needed a good deputy. All the way back from the Moonfalls, she'd been thinking of who to name. And now, Brightstar knew.

Raising her different colored eyes to gaze at the gathering stars, she meowed, "I say these words before the warriors of StarClan, so that they may hear and approve my choice. Petalflight will be the new deputy of MistClan." She turned her eerie, calculating stare back to the cats below. The Clan began to call Petalflight's name, while the small white she-cat looked flustered. Her son, Streamwander, made it to her first. Brightstar sprang down from Sun Boulder and tried to make her way through the pulsing crowd to her new deputy. She was stopped by a snarling voice.

"You are not my leader. You are a filthy, crow-food eating rogue. And all rogues are pieces of fox dung," spat the huge brown tom. Malevolent yellow eyes tortured Brightstar's thoughts, but she did not back down. Usually, she did not stand up to the taunts, however, she never felt terrible. She simply ignored them. She needed to get this warrior in line now that she was leader.

"Ratfur, if you do not like the leadership here, you can leave. It would be a shame because you are a strong and intelligent warrior, but if you will not respect your betters, then you should go," she mewed. She met his eyes, feeling as though a wave of fury had crash down upon her. Flames seemed to shoot from Ratfur's eyes, though neither of the gigantic warriors said anything.

The tom spun and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Brightstar to push her way through the cats and up to her deputy. "Perhaps you should organize the early patrols," she mewed softly to the medicine cat's sister. Petalflight nodded and struggled through the crowd. Not having the advantage of size and brute strength, Petalflight sped through small openings Brightstar would never have fit through.

As the white she-cat drew a breath, the warriors and apprentices fell silent, as the elders trudged with the queens back toward the same area. Seemingly amazed at the way the cats had immediately become quiet enough to hear the forest's crickets, she nervously mewed, "I'd like Brightstar to lead moon-high patrol. Bring Ratfur and Mousetail with you." There was a snort of annoyance; probably Ratfur. "Quicksilver," she continued, naming her daughter, "take Rainfeather, Dawndust, and Shadowstone for the dawn patrol. After they return, I'll take Nighthawk, Thunderclap, and their apprentices for a hunting patrol. Any apprentices I didn't name, work out who has guard duty until your mentors would like to take you training. Goosewing, please rest until you're needed for guard duty. Apprentices, get someone to wake him up when the time comes."

The cats looked rather happy at the efficient way their new deputy had listed off who needed to do what, and gave everybody something to do. It was about time for the moon-high patrol, so Brightstar rounded up Ratfur and his sister. As always, she was struck by how different they were. Mousetail's sleek pelt covered a body seemingly half the size of Ratfur's, and her eyes danced merrily with excitement, whereas Ratfur was still glaring fury at Brightstar. She ignored him and led the way into the forest. When they arrived at Large Oak Meadow, Brightstar turned to the sibling warriors. "Mousetail, head along the FogClan border. I'll take Ratfur down the border along Twoleg Place. When you reach the end of that border, start heading toward the border along the Thunderpath, which is what I'll do while Ratfur finds you." Mousetail nodded and headed away while Brightstar and Ratfur did the same.

"Why don't you trust me, rogue?" spat Ratfur. There was anger in his voice, but an underlying pain. Brightstar ignored him. There was a snort of annoyance, and Ratfur sped away, ahead of the MistClan leader. She flicked her tail, thinking, _Good riddance. I've had just about enough of him. _She continued marking the borders and came across him, sniffing a crumpled heap.

"You piece of fox dung! You sorry excuse for a warrior!" snarled Brightstar, pushing him away. "You killed her!" The large tabby crouched over the dead kittypet.

"I didn't!" exclaimed Ratfur. "I swear to you, I would not kill in cold blood. Not that I would put it past you, rogue."

Brightstar rose and whipped around. "I wouldn't put lying past you, or killing harmless, defenseless kittypets in the middle of the night. Look who this is!" She turned the she-cat's head sideways. "You killed Victory!"

Ratfur shook his head. "A fox did it. Take in the scent, idiot." His words were still packed with detest at the large warrior.

Brightstar, her pelt bristling, glared at Ratfur with anger shooting out of her eyes. Victory had always been an honored guest in MistClan's land. She had saved Falonpaw from falling over a cliff when he was a kit. She breathed in the scent anyway and sighed, picking the young she-cat up and dragging her toward her Twoleg nest. Sadly, Ratfur was right. A fox had killed Victory. Brightstar left the cat near the swinging part of wall for the cat's Twolegs to find and raced back to Ratfur, shivering. The brown tom snorted and tried to lead the way along the border. Brighstar fiercely snarled and led on. When they reached the Thunderpath border, she turned to the warrior.

"Find your sister. And if I find you made one detour along the way…," she let her sentence hang. Ratfur took off into the night and she began along the treacherous border. In no long time, she met with the siblings that made the rest of her patrol, and they headed back toward camp. Along the way, Ratfur managed to track down a squirrel, and Mousetail caught a rabbit. Brightstar caught a pale colored bird lost in the night, and they returned with their kind catch. They discovered Lightningpaw, Thunderclap's apprentice, standing guard until his later patrol. He greeted them coolly and the moon-high patrol dropped the fresh-kill on the fresh-kill pile.

"Ratfur, report to Petalflight, then get some prey. Mousetail, grab a bit of fresh-kill and rest," Brightstar ordered, taking a mouse for herself and slipping away into her den. She lay in her nest, calmly munching on the mouse before realizing there was something poking into her side. She pushed the half mouse away and burrowed into her moss. She drew out a small prey bone and sighed, carrying it out. She knew which apprentice had been taking care of her bedding today, and went across the clearing toward Falconpaw, Nighthawk's apprentice. He crouched in front of the apprentice's den with a strange expression on his face; anxiety, fear, mourning?

"What is it, Brightstar?" Falconpaw asked, snapping to attention.

She dropped the prey bone in front of him. Moonlight lit it up. "You must be more careful. What if this got into the elder's den, or worse, the nursery? I don't think Rocktumble would be pleased if Whitekit found this, do you?" The tom's eyes widened at the mention of danger he could have put his little sister in, and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Brightstar. I didn't notice that," he meowed, his voice embarrassed and anxious. The huge leader shrugged and told him to bring it where the rest of the prey bones were kept; in the morning, they'd be taken out by one of the apprentices. She padded back to her den and continued on the half-eaten mouse. She pushed the mouse bones outside; she'd take it to the pile when she woke up. Sighing with relaxation, she curled up in her nest and fell asleep.

Silently, the dark she-cat crept up on a vole. The little creature had no idea of the large hunter growing nearer, until there was a creaking sound behind Brightstar, and the snap of a twig. "You made me lose my hunt," she observed, none too calm. She turned and gasped, before crouching low in submission. "I'm so sorry, Spidercrawl. I had no idea you were there." Her former mentor shrugged broad shoulders, golden eyes dancing happily out of a dark grey frame. His coat shone and danced with the stars she saw on a cloudless night, and it revealed no water. Just over seventeen moons ago, he had been one of two victims of a strong flood, and both those cats had been close to her.

"Don't worry about it, Brightstar," purred the StarClan warrior. "I am glad to see your hunting crouch is still admirable." His voice was, as when he was alive, low and gravely. Suddenly, though, his happy eyes darkened, appearing shadowy and hunted. "Have peace, my friend, for you may not see much of it in moons to come." A shudder ran through the leader's coat as Spidercrawl continued. "Brightstar, beware of a warrior whose paw is not normal. Beware, and for the sake of your Clan, have faith in the rest." He disappeared, bounding away into gathering fog that was somehow not blown away by a growing wind.

"No! Spidercrawl, I don't understand! Come back! Don't leave me here!" Brightstar screeched, trying to find her mentor's scent in the strong wind.

"Why are you saying that? We have never left you, Brightstar. Don't you know that?" her mate's voice echoed in her head, though she could not find the source. This cat's death had been caused by the flood as well. Spidercrawl had managed to push him onto land, but then the older warrior had been sucked back under, and Brightstar's mate had not been able to live with water filled lungs as well as no prey after the water retreated. Suddenly, the fog cleared slightly, revealing a huge grey and white tom staring, horrorstruck, at something over Brightstar's shoulder.

"No!" yowled the large she-cat, whipping around.

"Dark days, aren't they, Brightstar?" asked a voice as the leader launched to her paws, scattering moss everywhere. "Are you alright? You look as though you just had a nightmare."

"Um…, yes, Petalflight, I'm fine," panted the large leader, staring at her deputy. "I, um, suffered of a nightmare sent by StarClan. I need to speak with Dovewhisper. And, what do you mean?"

The white she-cat jumped. "Victory killed by a fox, and dawn patrol just found this. I'm about to lead my hunting patrol out." Petalflight pushed a half eaten rabbit that reeked of fox toward Brightstar.

The large leader shuddered. "Tell our cats to watch for any more foxes. There are quite a bit of them." She padded away, around the small she-cat, and made her way toward the medicine cat den. Pausing before entering, the brown tabby took a deep breath. "Hello?" she called softly.

"Come in, Brightstar," replied a warm voice. The dark warrior did as she was told and spotted Riverpaw stacking borage leaves. "That's right," mewed Dovewhisper. "Warmbreeze is so near kitting she'll need those soon. Then I'd like to you to take some mouse bile and work on those ticks that are so fond of Shreddedears and Graymask. Now, Brightstar, what can I do for you?"

The dark tabby sighed. "A warning from StarClan. Spidercrawl told me to watch for a cat with a strange paw and he left into fog. Then Mudfoot told me that StarClan was always with me, and I saw Heavystar staring at something over my shoulder. Dovewhisper, he looked terrified. I was turning when Petalflight woke me up."

There was a soft cough to announce that Riverpaw was still there, then, carefully choosing her words, the grey cat mewed, "I suppose you don't think it's something to do with the foxes, do you?" Brightstar stared. She was about to ask why the medicine cat apprentice thought such a thing, when the cat mewed, "I mean, sure we know about the foxes, but what if the cat with a strange paw was going to help them? And the fog, well, Eelstar is leader of FogClan."

Brightstar understood Riverpaw's implications. Eelstar had been born an abnormality; one of his forepaws was completely furless. "Still, Riverpaw, Spidercrawl said to 'have faith in the rest' for the sake of MistClan. That makes me think, that, well, one of this Clan is the one I must beware of. That leaves Goosewing, Ratfur, Quicksilver, and Whitekit." Goosewing had a missing claw that never grew back, Ratfur had a twisted paw, Quicksilver had a perfect black circle on the top of one paw, even though she was a silver tabby everywhere else, and Whitekit had one paw larger than the other three. Riverpaw shuddered.

Brightstar noticed the shudder, but so did Dovewhisper, and she told the medicine cat apprentice to go work on the elder's ticks. The large she-cat sighed and padded out of the medicine cat den, and she easily sprang the shallow, thin part of the stream that ran through the center of camp, splitting the nursery, elder's den, apprentice's den, warrior's den, Sun Boulder, and her own den away from the fresh-kill pile and medicine cat's den. The entrance was well cloaked; you had to use the stream, or a very narrow part of the bank. The MistClan cats had discovered a way to come through the water very quietly, but no other cat could manage the silence of moving through a stream. And it was difficult to balance along the tiny bit of bank, so FogClan cats never stood a chance. There once was a third Clan, but they'd been forced to leave; half of them had died at the murderous paws of Twolegs.

Just headed out through the stream now were Shadowstone, Windpaw, Rainfeather, and Snowpaw, about to head out for two apprentice battle training. She noticed Ratfur and Mousetail bickering in front of the warriors den, which was on the stream, entrance side, and it faced into the clearing. Suddenly, Ratfur snarled something and bounded past them, flying out through of the camp with loud splashes. Streamwander was with his sister, and they were going hunting as well.

When Brightstar arrived at the nursery, Rocktumble and Warmbreeze were just coming out, Whitekit bounding behind the two queens. The large leader halted to watch Whitekit bounce forward and turn toward her mother. "Where's daddy?" she asked.

"He's hunting," answered Brightstar. Rocktumble leapt straight up and stared at the other she-cat.

"We didn't see you there, Brightstar," mewed Warmbreeze, her eyes happy at the visit.

Brightstar shrugged in understanding and settled down to watch Whitekit bat a piece of moss, then turn again. "Mother, may I go to the elder's den to hear a story?" Rocktumble purred and told the little she-kit to bring them prey. The small cat nodded, and raced toward the stream. In typical MistClan fashion, she vaulted over the water without a moment's thought and grabbed a vole. She easily splashed back and disappeared a moment later into the elder's den, which was right by the nursery anyway.

"So, Warmbreeze, how long until your kits are born? I think Whitekit is lonely," meowed Brightstar curiously. Everyone in camp liked Whitekit, and they were all waiting impatiently for Warmbreeze's kits to be born; they were growing tired of having their Clan so reduced in number.

The blue grey tabby shrugged, and answered, "Maybe half a moon more."

Brightstar nodded calmly, mewed good-bye, and made her way back to the stream. She waded calmly in, and she lifted her paws so that they skimmed over the surface before sliding them under. At the camp entrance, she brought in the scents, then slipped on, before standing on the bank and shaking each paw. Time for hunting. Purring, the dark she-cat loped through the forest before settling into a hunting crouch and pulling herself along after a mouse scent. After catching the small creature, she froze, sure that she heard screeching and yowling up ahead. Letting go of her precious fresh-kill, she raced forth, yowling in return.

"Where are you? What's happened?" She reached the cliff where Falconpaw had once nearly fallen from, and froze. Thunderclap, nearly unrecognizable because of dust, crouched in front of his sons. They were backed into a corner, and the warrior faced outward, snarling at a fox. How had she not heard the rumble? There were boulders covering the area, brought down. Where were Petalflight and Nighthawk?

There was the true terror. Petalflight was the doing all of the screeching and yowling, trying to push aside rocks, trying to reach something. A single, sleek black hind leg stuck out from under one of the boulders.


End file.
